UConn's Mosqueda-Lewis returns with a splash

Rich Elliott

Updated 12:36 am, Wednesday, December 18, 2013

DURHAM, N.C. -- The truth is UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma had absolutely no idea how many minutes Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis would play in her return Tuesday at No. 2 Duke. She had not played since Nov. 11 when she sustained a nerve contusion of her right elbow early in the second half against Stanford.

UConn orthopedic surgeon Michael Joyce has been clear that if she is not responding in practice, then she's not making progress. And Mosqueda-Lewis, a junior, was not at her best in practice physically last Friday or Sunday. This led Auriemma to share with team athletic trainer Rosemary Ragle Monday that he was unsure if Mosqueda-Lewis was going to play one minute or 31 minutes in a nationally televised showdown between the nation's top two ranked teams.

"We had no idea," Auriemma said. "But going into the game, I would've bet closer to one minute than 31 minutes for sure because she's an artiste. They're a little bit temperamental. So she's a shooter and she's one of the best in the country. So if all of a sudden you're shooting and you go, `This doesn't feel like it felt last week. Rosemary, what is this?' The more that goes on, the more that gets in your head and now all of a sudden you're not quite sure."

Fortunately for the Huskies, Auriemma's hunch was considerably off the mark. Mosqueda-Lewis came off the bench for the first time with 14:59 left in the first half. By the time the final buzzer sounded in UConn's 83-61 victory before a sellout crowd of 9,314 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, she had played 27 minutes and was every bit of the difference maker she has been during her All-American career.

Mosqueda-Lewis finished with 21 points and three rebounds, making a career-high seven 3-pointers on 11 attempts.

"We were prepared to go the whole game without her if we had to," Auriemma said. "But having said that, I don't think we would've won the game the way we won it without her. She's a pretty special player, I think. And I think she proved it (Tuesday)." Mosqueda-Lewis scored 15 points (5-of-8 3-pointers) in 16 minutes in the second half to help the Huskies (11-0) fend off the Blue Devils and extend their lead.

Entering the game, she, too, did not have a complete grasp on what to expect. Afterward, as she does so often, she downplayed her performance.

"I set my expectations low so anything above that would be great for me," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "So I was just trying to go out there and help my team in any kind of way, whether it was trying to play good defense or hitting a couple shots or just whatever the team needed at the time."

Mosqueda-Lewis, who was unfazed by the brace on her elbow, was especially clutch during a stretch of 4:27 of the second half when she nearly single-handedly buried Duke with a barrage of 3-pointers.

With UConn leading 65-52 with 7:58 left, she started a 14-0 run with a 3-pointer. It was her second 3-point attempt of the possession, and it came after a gritty offensive rebound by Breanna Stewart on the baseline.

"I'll tell you, one of the biggest plays ... she missed a 3 and the ball was bouncing around and it kicked back out and she got it," Auriemma said. "And Bria Hartley was sitting right next to me and she yelled something to Kaleena before Kaleena even shot the ball. And as the ball was in the air Bria goes, `She don't miss two in a row.' And she splashed it. That's what she does best."

Mosqueda followed with two more 3-pointers during the run, again shedding defenders and finding open looks.

"That's something that Coach has been telling me since last year, that I need to shoot every shot like it's the last shot and shoot every shot like it's an important one," Mosqueda-Lewis said. "And I've been doing that in practice and putting pressure on myself and it helped me out (Tuesday)."

Mosqueda-Lewis admitted that what she was able to accomplish in her first game back surprised her a bit. It came as no surprise to her teammates, though.

"I knew she'd come out and play great," senior Stefanie Dolson said. "That's just the type of person and player she is. "